Florida governor seems petty and frightened over a FAN ???

Wednesday night, there was a televised debate between Florida Republican governor Rick Scoott and his challenger, Charlie Crist, a former Republican governor who left the party and is running as a Democrat.

Crist was introduced and entered the stage.  The moderator then announced that Scott will not join the debate because Crist has an electric fan under his podium.  Scott's team claimed that violated the terms of the debate, which banned any "electronic devices."

Wow.  That's quite a stretch.   Isn't there a difference between "electric" and "electronic?"   I would consider a fan electric -- that's what they used to be called in the old days, "electric fans."    Banning electronic devices in a debate surely refers to things like smart phones, tablets, laptops, etc where answers could be fed to the participants.

Scott's team has also claimed that they showed Crist's people where in the agreement it says "no fans."   Crist says that fans were not banned as far he he knew.   It's true that debate agreements are minutely detailed;   they specify the exact height of the podiums, the temperature of the room, etc.

Whatever . . . it seems a tempest in a teapot where Rick Scott came out looking petty, insecure, and on the run.    What if it's true that Crist was violating an agreement?   Come on stage and expose him;   don't pout in your dressing room like a diva who refuses to go on stage until the woman in the front row removes her hat.

If it was a ploy to embarrass Cbrist, it failed badly.    Scott eventually came on stage, after the audience had booed at the announcement, and the debate went forward. 

But all the news was about "Fan-gate," which Crist's campaign is already using in a fund-raiser.

Ralph

PS:   Scott's lame attempts to explain it all are just making it worse.   Last night his team was all about what was in the agreement.    Then Scott tried to say that it was Crist who didn't show up, and he was waiting for him.   Of course the tv cameras showed Crist entering, showed the announcement, the loud booing, and then, after 7 minutes of confusion and uncertainty, Scott walked on.

Now today, he has come up with trying to blame it on Crist for refusing to go on stage if he couldn't have his fan.    Both just better shut up and take the lumps.